History of the Neighborhood
Oakwood
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Oakwood
as it was during development (1905)
Photo Courtesy of Frank H. McClung
Museum |
Oakwood began as a residential development
in 1903. The photograph at the right shows Oakwood as it was during
development in 1905. Many of the early residents were employed
by the Southern Railroad. By 1913 Oakwood had grown one block
east and several blocks southward to Woodland Avenue, the northern
boundary of the City of Knoxville, and the citizens petitioned
the Tennessee Legislature for a municipal charter. The first,
and only, election was held in December. It had its own school
system and built the first part of the present Oakwood School
building in 1914. It was annexed into the City of Knoxville in
1917, along with several other small “cities” on the
fringe of Knoxville. Minutes of the meetings of the City Council
are now kept in the office of the city recorder of Knoxville.
In the 1930’s Oakwood was expanded eastward to Broadway.
Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park is the portion of our community
extending from Oakwood
 |
Lincoln Park
Mineral Springs (1899)
Photo Courtesy of Frank H. McClung
Museum |
northward to Sharp’s Ridge, the highest
point in the City of Knoxville. The Lincoln Park community began
as a mineral spring resort in 1899 and was probably named for the
large Lincoln Park in Chicago. The original Lincoln Park school
was located at Atlantic and Kenyon Aves. There were three mineral
springs, Epsom, Lithia, and Chalybeate, located where the Lincoln
Park Elementary School later stood. An early photograph shows a
building with porches on at least three sides with a sign above
saying, “Lincoln Park Mineral Springs.” The springs
were enclosed so that people had to buy the water and much later
were capped. The first school building was erected near the springs
by Knox County. The dummy railroad line, which served the neighborhood,
became part of the city’s trolley system, following annexation
in 1917. Lincoln Park became a part of the city of Knoxville in
1917 along with Oakwood and several other neighborhoods.
History of the OLPNA Association
On October 18, 1979, eight residents of the
Oakwood-Lincoln Park area met to discuss plans for establishing
an organization for their neighborhood. These residents agreed that
a neighborhood organization was necessary to maintain the stability
and viability of their community as an organized body and to give
the residents a stronger voice in decisions that effect their lives
in the neighborhood. The first meeting
of the Oakwood-Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association was held
on December 10, 1979, at Stevens Mortuary, Oglewood Avenue. There
were seventy-five residents at the meeting. They identified and
discussed community needs directly related to the area. Needs
that were identified included problems with traffic, lack of city
services and crime. Individuals volunteered to work on committees
that were formed to address these problems.
As the Association developed, other community
needs were identified and additional committees were started to
address them. The number of participants and volunteers swelled
as neighborhood residents heard about the organization’s
existence and work.
The willingness of area residents to become
involved in the activities of the organization dramatically illustrates
the community felt need for such an organization and demonstrates
the residents’ feelings toward community solidarity.
Today the Oakwood-Lincoln Park Neighborhood
Association is still serving the people who live and work in the
community. The Association meets monthly at the neighborhood
club house, 916 Shamrock Avenue. |
